USEPA Announces Final Study Plan to Assess Hydraulic Fracturing
This post was written by Jennifer Smokelin.
This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announced its final hydraulic fracturing study plan and indicated that initial research results are expected by the end of 2012 with a final report in 2014. The overall purpose of the study is to understand the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water resources. The final study plan looks at the full cycle of water in hydraulic fracturing, from the acquisition of the water, through the mixing of chemicals and actual fracturing, to the post-fracturing stage, including the management of flowback and produced or used water as well as its ultimate treatment and disposal. Earlier this year, USEPA announced its selection of locations for five retrospective and two prospective case studies.
This study got its start in a 2010 budget report in which the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriation Conference Committee identified the need for a focused study of hydraulic fracturing. Since then, USEPA has held a series of public meetings across the nation to receive input from states, industry, environmental and public health groups, and individual citizens.
